Chapter 82: Immersed in Work, Spare Me the Idle Talk

"Alright, everyone, I have to head out for work now. I'm devoted to my job, so let's not waste time with idle chatter," Lin Zhiwei said with a dark expression, unwilling to deal any longer with the three people at the table. She grabbed her bag and prepared to leave.

It was early morning and already a mountain of things to deal with. Now she had to sit here listening to their endless prattle, wasting precious time. The breakfast she made had been divvied up among the three of them; she hadn’t gotten a single bite. What a mess...

Ling Ziheng, however, didn't try to stop her in the slightest. He continued sipping his morning tea with perfect grace. "We'll wait for you to come back."

"We'll wait for you to come back."

"We'll wait for you to come back."

The second voice was Nan Yu, followed immediately by Liang Qisheng.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Zhiwei pointed at Ling Ziheng and Nan Yu. "You, get to training. You, keep monitoring."

She had never met such difficult young men. Men were just too much trouble—girls were so much easier to handle. The thought of seeing Mi'er later brightened her mood.

Ling Ziheng, having just been scolded by his wife, looked positively delighted, as if to say, "My wife is amazing." Nan Yu curled his lip and returned to his work—after all, he was being paid to do a job, and besides, he couldn’t win a fight with Lin Zhiwei anyway. Liang Qisheng looked utterly dejected, head hanging low.

"Liang, come outside with me for a moment."

Hearing the fairy’s summons, Liang Shiqi perked up as if he'd been handed a treasure and happily jogged after her.

Lin Zhiwei closed the door behind them. He followed in silence, thinking that even if Ling Ziheng had just insulted him, perhaps he might yet win the fairy's sympathy.

"Liang, matters of the heart can’t be forced. I don’t like you, and I have to be honest about that," Lin Zhiwei said earnestly.

"How do you know you don’t like me? You haven’t even tried," Liang Qisheng muttered bitterly, dropping his head.

"At the very least, I don’t feel anything for you."

"And what about Ling Ziheng?" Liang Qisheng asked pitifully.

"He’s still under observation," Lin Zhiwei replied, equally candid.

"Ahahaha, well, that’s good—hahaha, Ling Ziheng, so you’re not off the hook either!" Liang Qisheng instantly brightened at this answer, relaxing as he reached out his hand. "Alright, I won’t push you. From now on, we’re just friends." He forced a wry smile.

Lin Zhiwei smiled faintly and shook his hand. There, one problem solved; thankfully, Liang was a reasonable man. She turned to head downstairs.

Liang Qisheng opened the door, putting on a brave face. "Come on, Nan Yu. Your young master is heartbroken—today, I’ll treat you to a feast. And I can finally use my card!"

At the mention of a feast, Nan Yu perked right up. "Great, great! You haven’t paid your rent yet, by the way. And stop calling me Nan Wu—my name is Nan Yu!"

Watching his wife deal so efficiently with her pursuers, Ling Ziheng savored his breakfast with satisfaction. Being able to eat breakfast made by her own hand—what could be better?

"Don’t get too smug. You’re only a candidate under observation—what’s there to be proud of?" Liang Qisheng said disdainfully to Ling Ziheng, who was calmly enjoying his meal.

"Better than being eliminated right away."

Liang Qisheng was about to argue, but thought better of it. As long as the fairy liked him, he’d let this scheming devil have his moment. After all, if it hadn’t been for this sly man’s intervention back in the day, his brothers would have ruined him—he’d have ended up homeless or penniless. With one last glare, he dragged Nan Yu out of Lin Zhiwei’s house.

Pei Xi, seeing Nan Yu and Liang Qisheng leave, entered the room to find his young master eating a sandwich with relish, the very image of a victor. He shook his head—Director Lin really ought to see what her young master looked like now: lovestruck, proud to a fault, and not a trace left of the king of actors.

Upon arriving at the TV station, Lin Zhiwei found Director Lu smoking outside. As soon as he saw her, he hurried over. "Director Lin, thank you for coming in so early. I told Xiao Yu you could have come later."

"You’re too kind, Director Lu. Ruoyu cares deeply about this stage, so of course I won’t slack off," Lin Zhiwei replied politely.

Lu Ran nodded appreciatively. At first, he’d thought working with Ling Ruoyu would be a huge challenge, but both Ling Ruoyu and the studio’s efficiency had been nothing short of astonishing. The vocal, dance, and stage design teachers all sang his praises, and Director Lin’s competence was equally impressive.

So young, yet so organized—truly a talent.

"Director Lin, we saw the stage you designed for the King of Actors, and it’s absolutely brilliant. Just between us, it’s leagues ahead of the other entries," a group of young female stage assistants gathered around after Director Lu went to a meeting. The one who spoke was Xin Xin, the most senior among them.

Initially, they’d worried Lin Zhiwei was too young and inexperienced, but quickly discovered he was not only polite and gentlemanly, but also had unique insight into stage design—making their concerns completely unfounded.

He wasn’t just eloquent, but also humorous and easy-going. His looks were ordinary, but that only made him more approachable; he soon fit right in with the staff.

"Thank you for your praise. Honestly, many of the ideas came from Ruoyu—I just brought them to life," Lin Zhiwei said modestly. Well, it was her duty to win some credit for that demon-man.

"Wow, the King of Actors is so creative—no wonder he’s the best. I remember watching ‘The Age of Prosperity’ and thinking his acting was phenomenal... Later, in ‘Prisoner of Life,’ the suspense with a hint of horror—his performance was explosive! And he did all the stunts himself, without any special effects or doubles."

"Exactly. The media just talks nonsense. Honestly, the King of Actors is one of the rare, dedicated actors in the entertainment industry—focused and professional."

"Right? All the other celebrities are just out to make money, stir up scandals, break up and make up—no decent work to show for it, and their private lives are a mess..."

"Shh, keep it down. Someone’s assistant is just over there..."

Lin Zhiwei knew they were talking about Chu Chuo. Chu Chuo’s assistant, Qin Meng, was not far away, frantically making phone calls, nearly in tears. Lin Zhiwei couldn’t help feeling sorry for the girl—Chu Chuo’s misdeeds were making her suffer.

Xin Xin, following Lin Zhiwei’s gaze, spotted Qin Meng and curled her lip in discontent. "That one’s a real piece of work—she and Medusa are two of a kind, a pair of troublemakers. They still haven’t submitted their proposal, and it’s almost rehearsal time. Director Lu is about to lose his mind!"

Lin Zhiwei couldn’t help but laugh. "Medusa" was the nickname the young women at the station had given Ye Linyun—truly a fitting moniker.